Theatrical



(No Model.) Q 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1. J. ARTHUR. THEATRIGAL APPLIANCE.

Patented 0013.21, 1890.

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[No Model.)

J. ARTHUR.

THBATRIOAL APPLIANCE,

Patented 00t.21, 1890.

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' 3 Shets-Sheet 3. (No Model.) J. THEATRIGAL APPLIANCE.

No. 438,978. Patented Oct. 21, 1890..

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rior of a saw or planing mill.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ARTHUR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TH EATRICAL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,978, dated October21, 1890.

Application filed March 28, 1890- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ARTHUR, of the city of New York, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented new and Improved TheatricalAppliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to theatrical appliances, and has for its object toproduce a scene representing the interior of a saw or planing mill andoperative machinery adapted to impart to the scene a realistic effect.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying vdrawings, forming a part ofthis specification,

in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views.

Figure 1 represents the scene as viewed from the front of the stage.Fig. 2 is an en larged elevation of one side of the scene, illus tratingthe mechanism in front elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2.- Fig. 4: is a plan view of the machine-bed with the tableremoved. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the table adapted to travel upon thebed of the machine. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a board adapted to beclamped upon the table. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line 7 7 ofFig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the board to be operated upon,and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the mock saw and the device employedin connection therewith to produce a noise like sawing as the sawrevolves.

The scene (shown substantially complete in Fig. 1) is a box-settingrepresenting the inte- The ceiling or roof,including the rafters, isvisible, and likewise the office and other doors, and upon the wallsundry shelves are constructed, upon which cut or uncut boards, or both,are piled, while at various points about the room piles of loose piecesof timber are visible. In one side wall A, for instance, one or more(preferably three) openings or arches 10 are produced, which afford aview of an adjoining room or annex B, the side wall11 of which containsa window 12 or other opening, rendering the interior of the annexvisible. In the annex the power is located, which con- Serial No.345,776. (No model.)

sists, preferably, of a motor driven either by steam, electricity, hand,or through the medium of animals or water. The motor, when a steam orelectric motor, is so located that it may be plainly seen by theaudience through the Window 12. Above the openings or arches 10 withinthe main room or chamber preferably two lines of horizontalcounter-shafting 14 andl5 are held to revolve in suitable bearings orhangers 16, as shown in Fig. 2, the shafting 14 being of sufficientlength to cross the opening nearest the audience, and the other shaftingis made long enough to drive any mechanism that may be placed in theadjoining openings.

Upon the inner end of the shaft 14 a pulley 17 is securely fastened, andnear the outer end-the end nearest the audiencea clutchcollar 18 isattached to the shaft, and in front of the collar a pulley 19 is looselymounted, having a clutch-surface on its hub capable of engaging with theclutch-collar, the said pulley being carried in and out of engagementwith the collar by a shifting-lever 20 of any approved construction.

Within the annex, at the rear of the first opening or arch 10, the maindrive-shaft 21 is located, as best shown in Fig. 3, upon which is keyeda large pulley 21, connected by a belt 22 with the shifting-pulley 19,and a second smaller pulley 23, connected by a belt 24 with the motor,the largest pulley being at the outer end of the shaft and thedrive-pulley near thereto. Near the inner end of the drive-shaft anotherpulley 25 is loosely mounted, containing a clutch-face adapted forengagement with a clutch-sleeve 26, loosely splined upon the shaft, thesaid sleeve being manipulated through the medium of a shifting lever 27,as shown in Fig. 2. The pulley 25 is connected by a belt 28 with apulley 28, fast upon the outer end of the counter-shaft 15, which at itsother end has secured thereto another pulley 29 and a third pulley 3Ointermediate of its ends.

At each arch or opening 10 a saw, planer, or other analogous machine isplaced, a saw being illustrated in the drawings. The sawbedD consists,preferably, of a box-like frame 31, which is made in two or moresections, as shown in Fig. 4, for purposes of transportation, the saidbed being open at top and bottom, supported by legs 32, and providedwith upper side rails 38, which may be substituted bygrooves, ifdesired.

The rails or tracks are upturned at their rear ends to form stops orbuffers 34; but other forms of stops may be employed.

Preferably at the rear of the center of the bed a saw'35 is secured to asuitable shaft 36, mounted in bearings 37, projecting upward within thebed. The saw-shaft is carried through one side of the bed and providedwith a pulley 38, which is connected by a belt 39 with the inner pulley17 of the counter-shaft 14. Within the bed in front of the saw is asawdust-feedin g device, preferably consisting of ahorizontally-supported trough 40, containing a feed-screw 41, havingattached at its outer end a bevel-pinion 42, which meshes with a similarpinion 43, secured to a shaft 44 near the front of the bed. The saidshaft has also attached thereto a sprocket-wheel 45, and at the rear ofthe bed, which in practice is behind the scenes, another shaft 46 isjournaled, provided with a crank-arm 47 and a sprocket-Wheel 48, thesprocket-wheels 45 and 48 of the two bed-shafts being connected by achain belt 49. Thus when the saw is revolved the shaft 46 may berevolved by hand, and, a quantity of sawdust having been previouslyplaced in the trough, the sawdust will be supplied through the medium ofthe screw 41 to the saw, as the board cut is very thin.

In connection with the bed a table 50 is employed, having rollers 51secured to its under face at each side to travel upon the tracks 33 ofthe bed. The end of the table nearest the saw is provided with a centrallongitudinal opening or slot 52 of suflicient width and length to enablethe table to pass rearward to a contact with the buffers 34, which limitits rearward movement without the saw being brought in contact with thetable, and upon one side of the table at the upper face guidecleats 53are fastened, while upon the opposite side of the machine at the top oneor more clamps 54 of any approved construction are attached. The tableis adapted to support and carry forward the plank 55 to be cut. Theplank 55, which is to be secured to the table, consists of a mainsection d and a removable or auxiliary section cl. The main section orbody of the plank cl may be nicely planed and is adapted for permanentuse, being of a width sufficient to pass beneath the cleats and be heldupon the table by the clamps and of a length sufficient for practicalpurposes. This body-section cl of the plank or board, as shown in thecross-section, Fig. 7, is provided at its inner end with a slot oropening 56, corresponding in size and location with the opening 52 ofthe table, and the upper face of the section d at the slotted end and ateach side of the slot 56 is provided with a dovetail recess, into whichthe strip of board or section (1 neatly fits, the said section or boardto be out being provided with dovetail side edges 57, as illustrated inFigs. 7 and 8. Thus when the saw is in operation and the table iscarried forward the thin slab or auxiliary section (1 only of the boardis cut by the saw, while to the audience it appears that the solid boardis being operated upon. The cut section after the performance may beremoved and another uncut section substituted. This form ofboard avoidsthe 11ecessity of carrying a number of nicely-planed boards to be placedupon the machine, and also economizes in the cost of the lumberdestroyed.

I desire it to be distinctly understood that various modifications maybe made in the machinery above described without departing from thespirit of the invention-as, for instance, the counter-shafting maycontinue across the openings as one shaft, and other like mechanicalsubstitutes may be adopted.

I further desire it to be understood that but one operative machine maybe employed, and when such is the case that machine is located nearestthe audience, and the saws of the other machines, which are dummies andare so illustrated in the drawings, are the only parts revolved; but asthese saws are not intended to actually out any lumber, and yet passthrough the lumber and seem to cut, it is necessary that the noiseemanating from working saws shall be counterfeited to some extent, andthis is accomplished by the mechanism shown in Fig. 9-that is, a spring60 is attached to the floor or stage at one end, the other end beingupwardly curved and brought in contact with the saw. Thus as the saw isrevolved the teeth of the saw, constantly contacting with the spring,will cause a sound to be produced somewhat in imitation of that heard ina saw-mill.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A theatrical appliance comprising a cutting-tool, atable for supporting and delivering the material to the tool, and adevice for supplying independently to the tool waste material of thecharacter similar to that which the tool cuts or is supposed to cut,substantially as described.

2. A theatrical appliance comprising a saw, a slotted and sliding table,a slotted board supported upon the table, a thin board fitted into therecess of the main board, and a dc vice for supplying independentlysawdust to the saw, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. A theatrical appliance comprising a series of saws, sliding slottedtables, screws for supplying sawdust to the saws, and a spring forengaging the teeth of one or more of the saws, substantially as hereinshown and described.

4. In a theatrical appliance, the combination, with a bed and a sawmounted therein, of a sawdust feed-screw mounted in the bed in front ofthe saw and means for operating the screw, substantially as described,whereby provision is made for supplying sawdust to the saw, as setforth.

5. In a theatrical appliance, the combination, with a machine-bed and acutting-tool attached thereto, of a table held to slide upon the bed, aplank adapted to be carried by the table and recessed for the passing ofthe tool, and a sinaller plank adapted to be cut by the tool and fittedinto the said recess of the main plank, substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. In a theatrical appliance, the combination, with a sectionalmachine-bed and a cutting-tool attached-thereto, of a table held toslide upon the bed, a plank adapted to be carried by the table andrecessed to pass the tool, a smaller plank adapted to be cut by the tooland fitted into the recess of the main plank, and means, substantiallyas described, for operating the tool, as and for the purpose speci fled.

7. In a theatrical appliance, the combination, with a bed and a sawmounted to revolve therein, of a spring held to engage the teeththereof, substantially as and for the purpose 25 set forth.

JOSEPH ARTHUR. Witnesses:

J. F. ACKER, J12, EDGAR TATE.

